After being on the road all summer opening for OneRepublic's Native Summer tour, American Authors have gotten to know their fellow tourmates pretty well. Fortunate to be able to work alongside one of their favorite bands of all time, Zac Barnett and Dave Rublin explained how OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder made the tour so memorable both on and off the stage.

In addition to slipping "love notes" under Tedder's dressing room door, the NYC-based band also bonded with the singer-producer via bratwursts and grilled meat. "He's an amazing guy, and he's super down to earth. There'll be so many nights on the tour where we'd all be out kicking it behind the venue. He's always barbecuing, grilling up steaks—it's cool because he's a good cook!"

And even if everyone were already full from dinner, they had to suck it up and grab a plate anyway. "You can't really tell Ryan Tedder, 'No, dude. I don't want your ribeye,'" Barnett said.

The duo also detailed the recording process behind their debut album, Oh, What a Life, which features hits "Best Day of My Life" and "Believer." Explaining that they experimented with different instruments (including African and Latin percussion toys) and a variety of genres, the band didn't hold themselves back with any limitations. "There's a little something for everyone."

American Authors' knack for blending sounds and pushing the envelope can partly be attributed to their admiration for Coldplay, whom they picked as the ideal band to model their career after.

"They've done such an amazing job of continuing to release great albums with great songs, and they keep advancing their sound," they said. "They seem to reinvent themselves, yet keep it very consistent with who they are."